


Under the Sea

by Akiko_Natsuko



Series: Fraxus [36]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fear, M/M, Magic, Swimming, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-12 21:55:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17475674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: Freed had never been entirely comfortable around the sea, there was something about the vast open expanse of water that unsettled him. The thought that you could just disappear out there and never be found sending a shiver up his spine.





	Under the Sea

    Freed stared out across the sea with suspicious eyes, his arms wrapped tightly around his legs as the waves ran up the beach towards him, stopping just shy of his feet for now but he knew that it wouldn’t be long before they reached him. He had never been entirely comfortable around the sea, there was something about the vast open expanse of water that unsettled him. The thought that you could just disappear out there and never be found sending a shiver up his spine, it didn’t help that he had never learnt to swim properly. He had grown up inland with the closest body of water being a narrow brook, and even when he had got older and moved to Magnolia and joined Fairy Tail he had never found the time. After all, he could fly, so there was never any need to set foot in that amount of water.

   Unfortunately, Laxus and the rest of the Raijinshuu had disagreed when he had reluctantly revealed the fact that he couldn’t swim. They had all been teasing him, needling him about the fact that there never seemed to be anything that he couldn’t do and without thinking he had snapped out that he couldn’t swim. The silence that had followed him had surprised him, and for a brief moment, he had thought that he had actually managed to silence the teasing until he had caught the worry in their eyes. Apparently, the fact that he could fly wasn’t protection enough, and a small part of him had agreed when Evergreen had pointed out that he should know better than anyone just how rarely things went to plan with their guild and that he was an idiot to ignore such a skill. S0he had actually used much stronger language, but he was choosing to ignore that.

    Which was why barely a week after that revelation he had found himself being dragged away for a ‘holiday’. While he couldn’t argue with Laxus when his partner had pointed out that they more than deserved a break, especially as they had just finished up an S-Class job that had seen all of them paying a visit to Porlyusica on their return. However, he knew that the choice of the beach rather than their usual mountain retreat was because of what he had told them the other night. He hadn’t tried to protest though, knowing that when the three of them got together, there was no changing their minds, and that at times like that his title of ‘Captain’ became little more than a pretty word, hence the fact that he was currently sat, allowing the waves to inch closer to his feet.

    He had managed to avoid going in the water so far, even though they had been there for a couple of days already, but Laxus had woken him that morning with a fierce kiss and a promise that he was going to make him see that the water wasn’t that bad. He’d tried to find out what that met, but the Dragon-slayer had been annoyingly tight-lipped, although the rare mischievous glint in blue eyes had worried him, not helped by the fact that he hadn’t seen hide nor hair of his boyfriend since first thing that morning. Evergreen and Bickslow had dragged him down to the beach and spent an hour trying to get him in the water before admitting defeat and joining him for a walk along the sand, but even they had disappeared about half an hour ago with some half-assed excuse. He was being set up, he just knew it. But he also knew Laxus, which meant that there wasn’t going to be any way of getting out of this, and he dug his fingers into the sand with a petulant expression.

“Are you sulking?” A slightly incredulous voice demanded, and he would later deny that he had squeaked in surprise as he whirled around to find that Laxus had managed to sneak up on him while he’d been distracted with his thoughts. Cursing the Dragon-slayer’s ability to move so quietly despite his size, he took in the smirk spreading across his boyfriend’s face, feeling his cheeks heating up slightly as he glanced off to the side.

“No…”

“Sure you aren’t,” Laxus teased him softly, crouching down and catching him in a gentle kiss, hands coming up to cup his cheeks and despite himself Freed found himself melting against the older man. He stilled a moment later though as he the Dragon-slayer’s hands shifted, and he heard a chain rattling lightly as Laxus gently placed something around his neck and he pulled back suspiciously, only to find a necklace hanging against his tank top and his eyebrows rose as he reached down to grab it.

“A dolphin?”

“It’s a special charm, and they didn’t have any other designs,” Laxus grumbled, looking uncomfortable and Freed smiled at him for a moment, well aware that the Dragon-slayer hated shopping for anything like that. He had even admitted once that he was relieved that Freed loved books so much because it meant that he had a practically endless list of gifts without having to brave jewellery or clothing shops. However, his smile dropped slightly as he spotted the matching necklace now hanging around the Dragon-slayer’s neck, and he examined his more closely.

“A charm? What does it do?” He asked, his earlier suspicions returning as the blond shifted uneasily, and he narrowed his eyes as he refocused on the older man, demanding answers. “Laxus?” The Dragon-Slayer sighed before rising to his feet, holding out a hand towards Freed who eyed it suspiciously for a minute, before giving in and taking it, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet.

“Come with me,” Laxus ordered gruffly, wrapping an arm around the Rune mage’s shoulders and nudging him forwards and it only took Freed a couple of seconds to realise where they were heading, trembling slightly as the water washed over his feet.

“Laxus…no,” he shook his head, hating the faint tremor that had entered his voice. As much as he hated to admit it, the thought of going in the sea really did frighten him, and he fervently wished that he hadn’t said anything when he was gently turned and pulled tightly against the Dragon-slayer. Shivering he pressed his face into Laxus’s shirt, desperately wanting to hide his fear, to be the strong mage they were all so used to seeing. But he could hear the sea louder than ever, the water dancing around his feet and he entangled his fingers in the material of the other man’s shirt. “Please…”

“Freed,” Laxus’s voice was softer than most people ever got to hear it, and there was a pleading note that made Freed reluctantly pull back just enough to peer up at the Dragon-slayer, his breath catching as he met worried blue eyes. “You trust me, right?”

“Yes,” even with the fear currently running through his body, there wasn’t the slightest hint of hesitation in his response. He trusted Laxus more than anyone, and his swift answer earned him a small smile and a chaste kiss to his forehead, followed by a quick one to the tip of his nose.

“Then trust me now?” It was still a question, and Freed knew without a doubt that if he put his foot down now, Laxus would respect that decision. But there was something in the blue eyes that made him reluctant to do that, and he hesitated for a moment, tilting his head so that he could glance at the sea stretching out behind him. It terrified him, and yet a small part of him was curious as to what Laxus could have up his sleeve to try and combat that fear, and after a moment he gave a tiny nod. “Thank you,” Laxus whispered, kissing him again before resuming moving them towards the sea, his arm strong around Freed’s shoulders as the water got deeper around their feet and Freed found himself focusing on that rather than the water.

    Laxus brought them to a halt when the water was at their thighs, reaching up to take hold of Freed’s necklace and brushing his fingers over the charm.

“It’s magic that will let you breathe and see clearly under the water for an hour,” he explained at last, and Freed’s breath caught in his throat for a moment. He remembered spotting similar charms the day before, and he knew that they were expensive, nearly as much as the rest of their holiday combined and he felt his eyes beginning to burn. _You went that far?_ Laxus had clearly noticed his reaction, reaching up to gently wipe away the tears swimming in his eyes, his expression soft as he added. “I want to show, you what you’re missing.”

“Okay…”

“Mizu,” Laxus whispered and Freed blinked as a bubble shimmered to life around his head, reaching up to gently poke at it. It was cool to the touch, and shifted easily under his finger but didn’t break and he took a deep breath before nodding to show that he was okay when he realised that Laxus was watching him with concerned eyes.

    Warm fingers grasped his hand as the Dragon-slayer activated his own charm, and as soon as it had materialized he found himself being gently pulled deeper and deeper into the water, and his earlier fear came rushing back, and he nearly baulked as they reached a depth where the sand was threatening to disappear beneath his feet. However, looking up he found Laxus watching him again, silently asking if he was okay and he nodded again. _I trust you…_ He clung to that thought as Laxus pulled him deeper, utterly comfortable in the water, although he made no effort to move away from Freed and the Rune mage focused on their connected hands to stop himself panicking completely.

    He was so focused on that, that it took him a few minutes to realise that the sand had given away to coral beneath him and he caught Laxus laughing at him as his mouth dropped open in awe at the sight beneath him. It was beautiful, nothing like his fearful imaginings of what the sea was and he found himself twisting around, trying to take in all the sights around them, although his hold never once loosened on the Dragon-slayer. Laxus let him be for a few minutes, before gently tugging him forward again, taking control of moving them along and leaving Freed free to marvel at the sights around them and the Rune mage found himself actually relaxing. He was surrounded by water, but he could breathe just as he would on air and Laxus’s hand was warm on his, guiding him and keeping him close and he couldn’t keep the soft smile off his face as he glanced towards his boyfriend. The bubble muffled his words, but he knew that Laxus had heard him when a childishly happy grin spread across his face.

“Thank you…”


End file.
